Billy Batson (New Earth)
(1940); First Post-Crisis Appearance: (1986) | Quotation = Brother, you are messing with the wrong god-power-wielding dude. | Speaker = Captain Marvel | HistoryText = .]] Billy was separated from his sister Mary following the death of their parents and left in the care of their uncle Ebenezer, his father's half-brother. Unfortunately, Ebenezer threw Billy out and stole the youth's trust fund money which had been set aside for Billy's care and welfare. Left penniless and homeless, Billy eked out a sorrowful existence in Fawcett City as a newsboy. For shelter, he often slept in the subway terminals. One night, a mysterious stranger - later revealed to be the spirit of Billy's father - convinced Billy to follow him deep into the subway tunnels. There, Billy found a marvelous train decorated in hieroglyphics and mystic runes. Billy and the stranger rode the train deep into the bowles of the earth and arrived in a cavern that held statues epitomizing the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, including Envy, Lust, Greed, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, and Gluttony. Within the cavern, Billy met the ancient wizard Shazam, a champion of mankind for thousands of years. Withered with age, Shazam sat on a throne poised benaeth a giant stone block suspended above him as if by magic. There, the ancient wizard revealed that he had selected Billy to be his champion to fight for good as the "strongest and mightiest man in the world--Captain Marvel!" To that end, Shazam ordered Billy to speak his name, which was actually an acronym for various legendary figures who had agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject: S''' - for the wisdom of Solomon '''H - for the strength of Hercules A''' - for the stamina of Atlas '''Z - for the power of Zeus (which enhances all Marvel's other physical abilities and allows for interdimensional travel) A''' - for the courage of Achilles (which would include invulnerability from ancient mythology) '''M - for the speed of Mercury (and, by extension, the power to fly) Billy then said the wizard's name, and was immediately struck by a magic lightning bolt, turning him into Captain Marvel, an adult superhero. He then learned that he has only to speak the word again to be instantly changed back into Billy. With that, Shazam was immediately killed by the large granite block that fell from above his throne. Billy vowed to fulfill his bestowed role. Whenever he needed advice, Billy could light a brazier near Shazam's throne, summoning the wizard's ghost. Marvel's first call to duty was saving the world from the evil mad scientist, Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, who threatened to silence radio forever unless he was paid a large sum of money. Resuming his regular form, Billy told WHIZ radio mogul Sterling Morris that he could stop the Radio Silencer and Sivana; a disbelieving Morris offered Billy a job on the air if he could do so. After finding the crooks' hideout, Billy transformed into Captain Marvel, destroyed Sivana's radio silencing machine and apprehended his henchmen. Sivana escaped, setting the stage for a long line of future confrontations. Marvel transformed back into Billy, who presented the captured criminals and destroyed Radio Silencer to Sterling Morris. True to his word, Sterling Morris made Billy an on-air news reporter for WHIZ radio. Through his adventures, he soon gained a host of enemies, including Adolf Hitler's champion Captain Nazi, an older Egyptian renegade Marvel called Black Adam, an evil magic-powered brute named Ibac, and an artificially intelligent nuclear-powered robot called Mister Atom. The most notorious Captain Marvel villains, however, were the nefarious Mister Mind and his Monster Society Of Evil, which recruited several of Marvel's previous adversaries. In the early 1940s, Captain Marvel also gained allies in The Marvel Family, a collective of superheroes with similar powers and costumes to Captain Marvel's. (By comparison, Superman spin-off character Superboy first appeared in 1944, while Supergirl first appeared in 1959). Early on marked the debut of the Lieutenant Marvels, the alter egos of three other boys who found that, by saying "Shazam!" in unison, they too could become Marvels. Soon a friend named Freddy Freeman, mortally wounded by an attack from Captain Nazi, was given the power to become teenage boy superhero Captain Marvel, Jr.. Eventually Billy and Freddy met Billy's long-lost twin sister Mary Bromfield, who discovered she could, by saying the magic word "Shazam", become teenage superheroine Mary Marvel. The first post-Crisis appearance of Captain Marvel was in the 1986 Legends miniseries. In 1987, Captain Marvel appeared as a member of the Justice League. That same year, he was also given his own miniseries, Shazam! The New Beginning. With the four-issue miniseries, writers Roy and Dann Thomas and artist Tom Mandrake attempted to re-launch the Captain Marvel mythos and bring the wizard Shazam, Doctor Sivana, Uncle Dudley, and Black Adam into the modern DC Universe with an altered origin story. In this miniseries, both Sivana and Dudley were Billy Batson's real uncles, who fought over the custody for the boy after his parents were killed (by Sivana) in a car accident. Black Adam is also present in the story as Sivana's partner in crime. The most notable change that Thomas and Justice League writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis introduced into the Captain Marvel mythos was that the personality of young Billy Batson is retained when he transforms into the Captain (classic-era comics tended to treat Captain Marvel and Billy as two separate personalities). This change would remain for all future uses of the character as justification for his sunny, Golden-Age personality in the darker modern-day comic book world. (Captain Marvel's Justice League teammate Guy Gardner often jokingly referred to the innocent, pure-hearted Captain as "Captain Whitebread"). Another notable change in this version was the relocation of the Shazam characters from Fawcett City to San Francisco. The Power of Shazam In this version of the story, Billy's parents - archaeologists C. C. and Marylin Batson - were killed by their treacherous assistant, Theo Adam, while on a dig at the tomb of Rameses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt. Theo Adam was the resurrected non-powered form of Teth-Adam aka Black Adam. He also kidnaps Billy's sister Mary, who ends up missing. The wizard Shazam is made aware of all of these events, and (just as in the Fawcett origin) has Billy brought before him by the dark-clothed stranger, and grants the boy the power to become Captain Marvel. As Captain Marvel, Billy takes on the form of his late father, which is how Theo Adam guesses his identity, has a revelation about the power of Shazam, and becomes Black Adam using a scarab he stole from the tomb. After subduing Black Adam and his employer, the rich tycoon Doctor Sivana, Billy swears to find his sister as Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel became a member of the revived Justice Society of America and was featured prominently in that group alongside his nemesis Black Adam. Captain Marvel had originally joined the team to keep an eye on Adam, who had joined the JSA claiming to have reformed. Black Adam eventually left the JSA to instigate a takeover of his home country of Kahndaq; he had a fondess for the country, and wished to see the totalitarian regime done away in what he saw as justice. Captain Marvel remained with the team. During his tenure in the JSA, Marvel dated Courtney Whitmore, also known as Stargirl, which put him in an unusual position; while he could legally date Courtney as Billy Batson, it looked very strange for the grown-up Captain Marvel to be with the teenaged Stargirl. The Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick, another JSA member, confronted Marvel about the issue. Rather than telling Garrick and the team the truth about his age, Marvel chose to follow the Wisdom of Solomon and leave the team and Courtney. .]] The Marvel Family played an integral part the Infinite Crisis. The climax of the Day of Vengeance saw the Spectre engaged in a cosmic-level battle with the wizard Shazam. At the conclusion of this battle, Shazam was obliterated, and the Rock of Eternity burst apart into Earth's dimension, freeing scores of ancient magicks and evils that had been captured eons ago back into the Universe. In a later Day of Vengeance one-shot special, Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family then helped Zatanna and several other beings to capture the Seven Deadly Sins and rebuild the Rock of Eternity. Captain Marvel was then required to take over Shazam's role as caretaker of the Rock. Marvel was later shown fulfilling this role, although teetering on the brink of sanity, constantly talking back to the Seven Sins around him. During this time, Marvel was shown helping Black Adam grant Adrianna Tomaz the powers of the goddess Isis. Later that year, Captain Marvel presided at the marriage ceremony of Adam and Isis in Kahndaq. Black Adam's continued attempts to reform, and depicted Adam's formation of, with Captain Marvel's blessing, a "Black Marvel Family". Joining Black Adam in the Black Marvel Family were his wife Isis and her brother Osiris. Isis and Osiris are murdered by the "Four Horsemen", creatures engineered by a team of DC's mad scientist characters (Dr. Sivana among them). As a result, Black Adam takes his revenge out on the entire world, killing millions. Black Adam is halted for a few minutes, just the time needed for Captain Marvel to force a magic lightning bolt on him, turning Black Adam back to Teth-Adam and changing his magic word into an unknown one. ''Trials of Shazam! Batson in his adult Marvel form now with long white hair, has advanced to the role of the wizard Shazam after his one-time associate Freddy Freeman (formerly Captain Marvel, Jr.) successfully proved himself worthy of the powers of Captain Marvel as role of magic guardian of the Earth dimension by successfully overcoming the series of trials of the gods. Batson had been removed from his position as New Earth Guardian of Magic by Black Adam as part of Adam's plan to recover his dead wife Isis against Felix Faust. (Justice Society (Vol 3) #23). Depowered of his Lord Marvel powers and abilities, Batson sided with his sister Mary who accepted the evil powers of Black Adam and became an evil "Captain Marvel". Both Batson and his sister Mary were stripped of their magical powers by the reconstituted Wizard Shazam (Justice Society (Vol 3) #25). It remains to be seen if Batson will be trusted again by the Wizard Shazam and recover his Marvel powers or remain permanently depowered. | Powers = Batson has been stripped of any and all magical powers that he held and is presently a regular human with no superhuman powers or abulities. right|thumb|Captain Marvel vs. [[Aztar (New Earth)|the Spectre]] '''Former Powers:' Captain Marvel powers Power of Shazam: In order to access the powers of Marvel, Batson must be able to call upon the name of the Wizard Shazam, thereby invoking spells involving the energies of those extra-dimensional beings once known as "the gods on Earth". This spell adds almost a hundred pound of impervious godly muscle and tissue to Batson's frame giving him the appearance of a fully adult male. The powers and abilities granted by the Wizard Shazam will not come to Batson by simply letting the word "Shazam" simply fall out his mouth or in casual conversation referring to the Wizard's name. Batson must specifically invoke the spell in order to call for these powers and they will immediately come to Batson's specific invocation and demands them to. Batson was able to share his power with others who he thinks as worthy of such power such as his sister who became Mary Marvel and Freddy Freeman who became Captain Marvel Jr., but while in this state, each person is only in possession of a fragment of the full power of "Captain Marvel" as opposed to one person commanding all of it. By calling upon Shazam again, each member of the Marvels can once again return to their normal form and size; thereby allowing one of their number, such as Billy or Mary, to have the full power of the spell. There is one susceptibility to the spell that it can be shared with other personages who are of noble intent and purity, such as Superman, who once switched identities and powers with Captain Marvel, after being in close proximity with Billy Batson during one transformation. When Billy Batson says the magic word "Shazam!", he is transformed into the magical champion, Marvel. In his empowered form, Batson possessed the following superhuman and magical attributes: :S for the Wisdom of Solomon: In his empowered form, Batson has instant access to a vast amount of scholarly knowledge. The wisdom of Solomon, sometimes known as the Wisdom of the Ancients, the Wizard SHAZAM claims to know everything. It also gives Batson superhuman clairvoyance and provides him with counsel and advice in times of need. In this form, Batson has knowledge of all languages, ancient and modern, and could hypnotize people through this power. :*''Superhuman Knowledge: In his empowered form, Batson has exceptional photographic recall and mental acuity allowing him to read and decipher hieroglyphics, recall everything he has ever learn, solve long mathematical equations instantaneously and make intuitive guesses based on limited data to the point his guesses are almost always correct. :*Clairvoyance: In his empowered form, Batson possesses an uncanny awareness of his circumstances that allows him to turn disadvantages into advantages, an understanding of divine interactions with the mortal world. :*Omni-lingual'' :*''Hypnosis: can occasionally hypnotize people as well, through this power. He has the Wisdom of the Ancients as the Wizard SHAZAM claims "to know everything." :'H for the Strength of Hercules': In his role as Magical Champion of Earth, Batson has incredible amounts of super strength in his empowered form which gives him strength on par with Superman, which has been consistently shown such as when he stalemated him in arm wrestling contest and so on. Some of Batson's superhuman strength feats show him in his empowered form effortlessly bending steel, punching through steel reinforced walls, and lifting extremely massive objects. Batson's superhuman strength is enough that he was able to fight beings such as Wonder Woman and even Superman. In his role as the Magical Wizard of Earth, theoretically Batson has access to, and is able to directly channel, literally infinite level powers for his physical abilities which would overcome almost any physical resistance. Presently Batson refrains from such power displays such as physically moving planets about though such feats would be within his magical abilities if he so chooses to do so. :'A for the Stamina of Atlas': Using Atlas' endurance, Captain Marvel can withstand and survive most types of extreme physical assaults. Additionally, he does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe when in Captain Marvel form. :*Superhuman Stamina: His Olympian metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities giving him practically inexhaustible stamina. :*Self-Sustenance: Additionally, he does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe and can survive unaided in space when in Captain Marvel form. :'Z for the Power of Zeus': Zeus' power, besides fueling the magic thunderbolt that transforms Captain Marvel, also enhances Marvel's other physical abilities, provides physical invulnerability and resistance against most magic spells and attacks, and allows for inter-dimensional travel. Marvel can use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent or target. The magical lightning has many uses, including creating apparatus, restoring damage done to Marvel, or acting as fuel for magical spells. :*Magical Resistance'' :*''Physical Enhancement'' :*''Inter-dimensional Travel:'' This can only be used to travel to the Rock of Eternity :*''Spell Source'' :*''Advanced Healing'' :A for the Courage of Achilles: Like the wisdom, this aspect is primarily psychological, and gives Marvel superhuman amounts of inner strength from which to draw. :*''Invulnerability: Captain Marvel is virtually invulnerable, and resistant to all types of physical injuries, to the point it is at least on par with beings such as Superman. If he were somehow wounded, his godly energies would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive him. :*Superhuman Inner Strength: He is always supported by an innate and harmonious presence of good will and strength of perseverance that he never backs down from a challenge. :'M for the Speed of Mercury': By channeling Mercury's speed, Captain Marvel,while not as fast as the Flash, he can easily fly and move at speeds far exceeding Mach 10 (2 miles a second) while in earth's atmosphere, but this is far from his limit as the Speed of Mercury has shown to be able to move at speeds faster than light. He can fly at light speeds while in space. :*Superhuman Speed: He can move at incredible speeds, possibly equal to Superman. He can move fast enough to not register in the normal peripheral range of humans and seemingly vanish and disappear at will. :*Flight: Captain Marvel can also mystically fly through the atmosphere through sure act of will, enabling him to soar through the atmosphere at sub-orbital levels and travel across the planet. He is immune from the effects of extreme height. With effort, he can travel from the Earth to the moon, but he requires extra-precautionary paraphernalia for interstellar travel. Thanks to the power of Mercury Marvel can fly at light speed through space. :*Sorcery: Unused by him but allowing for the ability to wield magics and cast spells. '''Lord Marvel powers': Keeper of the Rock of Eternity: Batson formerly had been advanced to the position of the Wizard Shazam after the Wizard Shazam's spirit had been been dispersed by the Spectre. As the new Guardian of the Rock of Eternity, Billy possessed even more power then he had as "Captain Marvel" All of Batson's original magical powers as "Captain Marvel" had been increased way beyond those previous levels. As the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity, Batson was one with the Rock as it is a part of him. Batson was able to channel the energies of the primal God-wave and the Greek Lords of Magic through the Rock of Eternity. In that state Batson was infused with the duty to keep the power and the magic of the earth realm in balance. As keeper of the Rock of Eternity Batson also held the dark forces at bay. :Inherent Omnipresent: Apparently possessing the power to be everywhere, at all times (i.e. multiple dimensions and places in time). :Inherent Omniscience: Apparently possessing the power to know anything that he chooses to know and can be known. :Inherent Omnipotent: Apparently possessing the vast magical powers, and ability to make anything he wants. :Telepathy: Ability to read the minds of others and project thoughts. :Sorcery: As the High Lord of Magic, Batson has omnipotent mastery of magics and mysticism. He truly knows magic and can cast any spell to achieve any powerful results. He has unlimited access to Personal, Universal and Dimensional Energies. :Cosmic Awareness: Power to sense the presence of beings and objects in the universe. :Immortal | Abilities = Various. The knowledge he currently possesses is unending, therefore he is capable of anything. Multilingual: Thanks to the Wisdom of Solomon, he has the ability to understand, comprehend, and speak any language on earth. Genius-Level Intellect: He also is considered a genius among geniuses. Smooth Talker: Another facet of his intelligence is ability to talk his way out of situations, as a man with an unprecedented amount of wisdom, he prefers to talk, rather than fight. | Strength = Class 100 +. As Captain marvel his strength is on par with Superman. When he received the upgrade to Lord Marvel and became the keeper of the Rock of Eternity he was one of the strongest beings in the Universe. | Weaknesses = High Order Magic: Only the strongest of magics can affect him in any particular way, such as those wielded by the Spectre. Guardian of the Rock Limitation: Marvel is required to remain on the Rock of Eternity, and can only be away from the Rock for twenty-four hours at a time. Personality: As Batson is still at base a human teenager, despite the enormous powers and awareness of the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity, Batson's emotional state can be overwhelmed or sidestepped over such knowledge and forebearance as shown recently when Black Adam was able to trick Batson out of his empowered form and strip him of the powers of the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity for his own agenda. | Equipment = All the mystical items belonging to Shazam. * Historama: Shazam owned the Historama that adorns the space near his throne at the Rock of Eternity. It functions as a crystal ball, but with Incredible range and accuracy. He activates the Historama by saying, "Historama show me...". The historama has incredible material strength and provides the following abilities: :* Clairvoyance :* Clairaudience :* Remote Sensing :* Extra-dimensional Detection :* True Sight :* Dimensional Viewing :* Temporal Viewing: ability to look into the past, and functions just like Dimensional Viewing. These powers allow the Historama to "cleave through the barriers" to show the occupants of the Rock of Eternity what transpires in other dimensions and even other times. Batson had forgone the original historama and has opted for a more up to date version and has redirected the Rock of Eternity with a multitude of different tv screens which portrays whatever he chooses, just as the original historama. | Transportation = Teleportation, Flight | Weapons = | Notes = Hailed as "The World's Mightiest Mortal" in his adventures (and nicknamed "The Big Red Cheese" by archvillain Doctor Sivana, an epithet adopted by fans as a nickname for their hero), Captain Marvel was (based on sales) the most popular superhero of the 1940s. The Captain Marvel Adventures series sold more copies than Superman's Action Comics and other competing superhero books. Captain Marvel was also the first superhero to be adapted into film in 1941 (The Adventures of Captain Marvel). Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel and Marvel Family comics in 1953. This was due to both a general decline in the popularity of superheroes and a copyright infringement suit from DC Comics alleging similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman. DC licensed the Marvel Family characters in 1972 and acquired all rights in 1980. Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family have been integrated into the DC Universe, and DC has attempted a few revivals. Captain Marvel has not regained widespread appeal with new generations, although a 1970s Shazam! live action television series featuring the character was very popular. Due to the fact that Marvel Comics trademarked their Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between the original Captain Marvel's Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics is unable to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under that name. They decided to use the word "Shazam" as the title of their comic book and thus the name under which they would market and promote the character. As a result, Captain Marvel himself is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Shazam." | Trivia = * Captain Marvel's adventures have contributed a number of elements to both comic book culture and pop culture in general. The most notable of these is the regular use of Superman and Captain Marvel as adversaries in Modern Age comic book stories. The Superman/Captain Marvel rivalry has its origins in a popular comics story in MAD Magazine no. 4 from 1953, entitled "Superduperman", which was inspired by the Fawcett/DC legal battles. In the story, Superduperman (an obvious Superman doppelganger) does battle with the Captain Marvel-esque Captain Marbles. Marbles' magic word was not "SHAZAM", but "SHAZOOM", which stood for Strength, Health, Aptitude, Zeal, Ox—power of, Ox—power of another, and Money. After DC revived Captain Marvel in the 1970s, they followed MAD's cue and often pitted Captain Marvel and Superman against each other for any number of reasons, but usually as an inside joke to the characters' long battles in court; they are otherwise staunch allies who get along very well with each other. Notable Superman/Captain Marvel battles in DC Comics stores include ''All-New Collectors' Edition'' #C-58 (1979), ''All-Star Squadron'' #37 (1984), ''Superman'' #102 (1995), the final issue of the ''Kingdom Come'' miniseries (1996), and in ''Superman'' #216 (2005). The "Clash" episode of Justice League Unlimited, which included Captain Marvel as a guest character, featured a Superman/Captain Marvel fight as its centerpiece. * 17 months after DC's first issue of Shazam!, a try-out of the first meeting of Captain Marvel and Superman was published in Superman 276, with a character called Captain Thunder. Captain Marvel and Superman would finally meet 18 months later in the December 1976 issue of Justice League of America #137. * Captain Marvel was the first major comic book hero to have a young alter ego. Although kid superheroes had generally been neglected before Marvel's introduction, kid sidekicks soon became commonplace shortly after Marvel's success: Robin was paired with Batman in May 1940, and Captain America was introduced with sidekick Bucky in March 1941. The idea of a young boy who transformed into a superhero proved popular enough to inspire a number of superheroes who undergo similar transformations, including Marvel Comics' Darkhawk, Malibu Comics' Prime, and animated/action figure superheroes such as Hanna-Barbera's Mighty Mightor and Young Samson, Mattel/Filmation's He-Man, and Warner Bros. Television's Freakazoid. Other heroes, including Marvel Comics' Thor, undergo similarly magical transformations from a weak human form to a god-empowered form. * In pop culture, Billy Batson/Captain Marvel's magic word, "Shazam!", became a popular exclamation from the 1940s on, often used in place of an expletive. The most notable user of the word "Shazam!" in this form was Gomer Pyle from the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. Elvis Presley was a fan of Captain Marvel, Jr. comic books as a child. Elvis later styled his hair to look like Freddy Freeman's and based his stage jumpsuits and TCB lightning logo on Captain Marvel Jr.'s costume and lightning-bolt insignia. Actor Cary Grant said that some of his younger fans told him they thought he bore an uncanny resemblance to Captain Marvel. * Even more than ten years after the character first disappeared, the superhero was still used for jokes, such as in The Monkees when Peter Tork tried to escape the ropes he was tied up in by yelling "Shazam!", only to magically break a mirror and sheepishly note that it's seven years bad luck for Captain Marvel. Several other episodes of The Monkees had Captain Marvel references, including using the name "Freddy Freeman" in dialogue. Captain Marvel also made a cameo in The Beatles song "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill." Another catchphrase popularized by Captain Marvel was his trademark exclamation, "Holy Moley!" * In the Fox Network animated series American Dad!, Steve's favorite t-shirt has Captain Marvel's signature lightning bolt insignia on it which he refers to as a "Shazam" shirt. Additionally, Captain Marvel made a cameo appearance in an episode of ABC Network's The Drew Carey Show as part of a dream sequence. | DC = | Wikipedia = Captain Marvel (DC Comics) | Links = *Captain Marvel Culture: The history and cultural significance of the many Captain Marvels *''Captain Marvel at the Guide to the Mythological Universe'' * | Recommended = *''Captain Marvel Adventures'' *''The Trials of Shazam''! *''Infinite Crisis'' *''52'' }} Category:Golden-Age Characters Category:Flight Category:Super-Speed Category:Energy Projection Category:Flight Category:Invulnerability Category:Regeneration Category:Superhuman Strength Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Magicians Category:Former Justice League of America members Category:Divine Empowerment Category:Magic